


Having A Ball

by Sarahbellum4



Series: Finis Tenebrae [3]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angry smol Halfling, Dancing, Dress Up, Dungeons & Dragons Campaign, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Height Differences, Reunions, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22154791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarahbellum4/pseuds/Sarahbellum4
Summary: Another peaceful future fic after Finis Tenebrae, this time at a ceremonial Ball held in honor of the heroes of the realm.
Relationships: OC Halfling/OC Orc, Xyila Tealeaf/Durmekk
Series: Finis Tenebrae [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1580110





	Having A Ball

Empress Brynna Wintrish XXXXVII was holding a celebratory ball at the palace to honor and thank everyone involved for halting the invasion of evil forces into Finis Tenebrae. Shortly after the great battle, the long-warring nations realized how close to death they all were and after a week of further peace talks, came to terms on a mutual peace treaty. People from all nations came to the party to give their thanks, and a medal ceremony was supposed to happen at some point in the evening, after a grand feast. 

The entire party was there, each shoved into fancy clothes at the order of the empress and physically forced by servants. Ash had somehow weaseled her way into wearing a pantsuit of sorts instead of a dress, much to everyone’s amusement, but besides Frank and Alister, everyone was unused to wearing formal wear. 

Xyila was thrilled with the fluffy dresses and clothes, happily bundling up in the silky layers of a fluffy dress before spotting a different one she wanted to try on. This process went on for nearly an hour before she found something she liked enough to wear out. Inwardly, the servants were just happy they had started to get her dressed early.

Ash however, had griped and complained the entire time, swatting away the attendants when they tried to put her in a corset, and getting downright vicious when one of them said that the ballgown looked like it needed more tulle underneath. 

“Listen, I don’t particularly care for dresses, certainly  not the fluffy kind. I don’t care if the empress said to “dress” me up, I didn’t think she actually meant a dress!” Ash snipped, swatting at one of the attendants who reached up to try and adjust her decolletage with a hiss. “I bet you didn’t put the boys

in actual dresses…” She mumbled, earning her an amused look from everyone. 

Xyila glances over her shoulder at her with a smile, “I saw some fancy outfit that had pants in the closet if you would like to try it,” She said happily as a seamstress hemmed the skirt to fit. 

Ash’s face lit up like a torch and she turned to the attendants. “If you want me to go out there, you are going to find me that pantsuit and put me in it,” Ash declared as she dramatically posed with her hands on her hips and head held high. 

The attendants exchanged a look and shrugged their shoulders, one starting to unbutton and untie her dress while the other ventured into the massive closet to search for the fabled outfit. 

Caoimhe gave a soft smile from her pedestal, already decked out in a long dress with a soft skirt, adorned with metal bands on her arms and a fancy jeweled headpiece to match. The deep purple coloring stood out against her skin and made the metal shine even brighter. 

The servant came rushing out of the closet, triumphantly holding the garment above their head earning a cheer from the group. While the top was still fitted with a bodice, it was better than the alternative mass of skirts, and Ash was pleased with the compromise despite being told she was still unable to bring any weapons to the event. 

It was no matter, she simply hid a dagger in her sleeve when the servants were not looking. It hadn’t escaped her notice that Xyila and Caoimhe did the same, Xyila strapping an alarmingly large dagger to her leg under the flowy skirt, while Caoimhe slid whisper thin knives into her hair disguised as hair sticks. 

Before they left, Caoimhe made them demonstrate dancing with some of the servants as partners, Xyila doing surprisingly well with her dwarven partner, while Ash managed to step on her poor partners foot at least three times in as many minutes. 

After some last minute dancing advice and some small outfit adjustments, the girls were escorted to the ballroom by armed guards, which amused them greatly. 

“Don’t ya find it ironic that they are havin’ the guards escort us when 

were the ones to defeat the baddies? Actin’ like we are some puffed up princesses who need protectin’ or something,” Ash mumbled to them as they walked, glancing around at their escorts. 

“Yeah, I gotta admit it’s a little weird. Looks like I could throw the skinny one without much trouble,” Xyila answered, flexing with a sharp grin when the slender guard in question looked at her. The guard’s eyes widened comically as he blushed bright red before resolutely turning back around, sending the women into a fit of giggles. 

Caoimhe

stated as they came upon the ball room doors. With a nod, the guards swung them open with a flourish as a herald announced their names to the crowd. 

Before them inside of the glittering, mural laden elaborate walls of the ballroom stood hundreds of men and women, of all race and class, each dressed in a vibrant rainbow of color in nearly every fashion imaginable. Women in fancy dresses stood next to finely dresses knights and fur-adorned tribal warriors, talking all the same. Several orcs towered above the crowd, as well as pactborn, humans and even a centaur, with halflings, dwarves and gnomes scampering between them. A turtle folk was deep in conversation with a group of humans, proudly showing off the scars on its shell to the crowd. Further in the room was an Aarokocra dancing with a Kenku, wings overlapping, wrapping the couple in feathers. 

Xyila smiled so hard she felt like her face would break in two. As they descended down the steps, those gathered close to the bottom all turned and stared, some whispering and pointing while others simply went back to their conversations. 

Ash was never so glad they had asked the Empress yo have the ceremony later in the evening, because the thought of everyone eyeing them up all night as the heroes of the realm sent butterflies loose in her stomach. When she brought the idea up in the first place, Xyila had wholeheartedly agreed with her, stating that she wasn’t going to have her first ball ruined by a bunch of snooty suitors attempting to romance her because of her newfound fame.

Upon hearing this, Durmekk joined in and agreed. Not only did he not like the idea of strangers flirting with his beloved, but he knew how mad Xyila would be if they ruined her first formal event and exposed her to such a large crowd at the same time. 

As soon as they reached the bottom proper, Cece swept up to their group, looking radiant in a sleeveless floor length gown and her hair piled into an artful updo. 

“Where were you, you were supposed ‘ta get ready with us! We were worried about you!,!” Ash exclaimed, hugging the woman before holding her at arms length to admire her. “Well, hot damn Cecelia, you sure clean up nice. Would you save me a dance under the moonlight later?” Ash asked with a grin and a wink, earning her a roll of the eyes from the rest of the girls and a sharp glare from Cece. 

“Ashara you had better be glad there are so many people here or I would 

She said as she gave Ash a fake smile and subtly pinched Ash’s wrist in retaliation. 

“Ow! Rude, I was just messin with you and ya know it,” Ash said pouting dramatically at the harsh treatment. 

Cece rolled her eyes, grabbing Ash’s hand anyhow and starting to pull her into the crowd. “Okay, you win. One dance later, but first, check out the food table with me! The empress let me rig up a bunch of magical dodads for tonight too, so I can show you those as well, and then…” Her voice faded as she was pulled further into the crowd, Ash turning and waving at them before she, too, was swallowed by the masses. 

Caoimhe and Xyila made their way through the outskirts of the party along the wall, Xyila at one point resorting to lightly holding the back of Caoimhe’s dress to keep from getting separated. By the time they found the refreshment table, Xyila was clutching at her friends skirt for dear life, getting a questioning look from Caoimhe in return. 

“This place is 

Halfling friendly. I had a Yuan-ti nearly knock me over, not to mention that orc that nearly stepped on me.”

Caoimhe said with a trace of humor in her eyes. Xyila’s mouth dropped open in shock before she let out a loud laugh, drawing the gaze of several people around to stare at her. 

“I-I don’t think I ever heard ya make a joke! That was good, really,” Xyila said as she wiped a tear of mirth from under her eye, noticing the stares as she did so. “Oh no. They’re all staring at me. Why are they staring at me?” She asked, blushing and ducking her head a bit in an attempt to avoid the attention. 

“It’s ‘cuz you are just so gosh—darned 

that’s why!” 

Xyila let out a squeak at the new voice appearing beside her, Tyrian’s untamable mop of hair sliding into her vision right before he kneeled down next to her and pinched at her cheek. She swatted at him, but he simply moved his hand back in the nic of time before trying to muss her hair. 

Him wearing a suit of dark blue with a pinstriped vest and tight fitted slacks of similar color was a look that was almost as priceless, and unlikely as him in a kilt. It took everything in Xyila’s power not to laugh, especially when she noticed the cravat tucked against his throat. She let out a snort against her will, blushing again as Tyrian just grinned down at her. 

“Yeah, I know. It’s pretty bad isn’t it? I look like a snooty oaf who thinks fox hunting is a premier sport and the height of excitement.” Tyrian joked, dramatically pretending to flip his hair, earning a round of delighted giggles from Xyila. “And this tie thing, what the hell is this? A noose? Cause it sure feels like one. And it is 

Xyila, 

What kind of upper-class cad wears 

A throat cleared behind him, coming from an amused looking Frank. There was a pause as they both looked over his outfit as well, both noticing the iridescent fabric at the same time. 

“I- uh, hell, I didn’t mean you Frank, you look just, just, dashing, yeah that’s it, dashing,” Tyrian stuttered as Xyila started to giggle again. Frank smiled down at them as Tyrian stood up, awkwardly standing next to Frank while Caoimhe smiled at their antics. 

“You ladies look radiant,” Frank said, Boeing dramatically to them as they returned the gesture with polite curtsies. “Caoimhe, I believe they just started up the music again, would you care to dance?” He asked, offering his arm to her and tilting his head in askance. Caoimhe smiled and nodded, saying something to him in his head that made him smile before they headed to the dance floor. 

Tyrian handed Xyila a fancy glass of wine that she cradled in her hands, frowning at how big it was. “Not halfling friendly…” She murmured, earning a smile from Tyrian. 

“Well, let me fix that short stuff,” He said as he reached for her glass. Lifting it up, he poured half the contents of her glass into his, earning him a couple of judgemental looks from the partygoers around them and a few curious and even sensual looks from some of the others. He grinned and threw a wink at a couple of them, sending them all into giggles and whispers as he handed Xyila her glass back. 

“Oooohhhh, who’s the cad 

huh?” Xyila asked, yanking lightly on his coattails, getting a slight blush and swat on the hand for her efforts. 

“I’m 

with these lovely ladies, excuse you. Just because you are taken and claimed doesn’t mean 

  1. And these girls love them some country every once and a while,” He said with a grin as he accentuated his accent even more, causing a couple of the girls nearby to glance his way under their lashes. Xyila laughed and rolled her eyes, secretly happy her friends were all having such a good time, especially since all the trials and tribulations they had gone through to get this far. 



One of the girls nearby finally got the courage to walk over to the pair, stopping in front of Tyrian.

“Hello sir, would you care to join me in a dance?,” She asked, shyly offering her hand to Tyrian.

Tyrian grinned, “Why, I would love ta dance with such a fine lady. Lead the way, miss,” He said, shooting Xyila a cocky grin over his shoulder and a finger gun as they disappeared onto the dance floor.

Xyila stood there for a moment, sipping her wine- making a face at it, she quickly passed it off onto a passing server’s tray before wandering into the crowd to find some more friends. 

After stopping to converse with some dignitaries, complement several ladies outfits, and nearly getting stomped on by an extremely intoxicated Orc, Xyila was about to give up and retreat to the nearest food table when she spotted a familiar head of shaggy hair. 

Rushing forward, she barely gave the figure any time to react to his name being yelled before launching herself up into their arms. “Wlad!”

The poor man caught her, startled by the sudden weight and nearly lost his balance. Once steady, he looked down at the bundle of fabric and happy halfling in surprise before grinning. 

“Well hello there, I almost didn’t recognize you!” He said as he shuffled her around until she sat on his hip instead of being hoisted mid-air. “I’m glad to know you made it alright. Where might I find the rest of the party at such a fine event as this?”

Xyila smiled up at him before shrugging. “I have no idea, I was just about to give up looking when I saw your mullet,” She teased as she gave a little pull on the offending hairdo. She glanced down at his forearm and frowned, looking up at him concerned. “Where’s Vessel? Did you lose him?”

Wlad shook his head, glancing around. “The opposite actually, he has, how you say, evolved into a bigger and better form, and we decided he might not be welcome in his new form at such a formal event,” He said looking down to see her still concerned face. “Do not worry Xyila,, he is doing well. As are you by the looks of it, you have grown quite a lot since we last saw each other,” He says with a grin as she shows her claws to him, then laughing when she proudly flexed her arms to show off. 

“Yeah, perks of having a barbarian mate I guess. That and I had tons of downtime to work out in prison, you can’t 

how boring it got.”

“Ah, yes, the prison escapade I heard about,” He says, glancing downward with a mournful look on his face. “I cannot express how much I wish I had stayed when we landed, maybe it would not have happened, and perhaps Elvira would still be with us,” He says with a frown, only for his sadness to be interrupted by Xyila’s clawed hand giving his long scraggly beard a tug.

“Hey, no sadness tonight okay? You had to set out on your own, and I don’t think 

could have stopped that clusterfuck from happening. And, if we hadn’t gotten tossed in the slammer, we never would have found Tyrian,” She continued, oblivious to the dark look that passed over Wlad’s face until she looked up. 

“He killed Yevelda, cut her down in her prime. He assassinated an emperor. He should have stayed in that prison so he could not hurt anyone else. He should-” His rant was cut off by Xyila flicking him in the nose, quite hard. With a pained noise he startled, looking down at the irritated look on Xyila’s face.

“I don’t know what rumors you heard, but I spent about ten years with the guy. He doesn’t remember anything besides trying to defuse the bomb. He was possessed. He didn’t mean to do any of those things. He even feels really bad about it, he let Ash deck him in the face and said he deserved it,” She paused and smiled at him. “And again, if we hadn’t gone to prison in the first place, I never would have bulked up, or met my sweetie,” An irritated look crossed her face for a moment before it left. “Dang it, I should have just brought the wedding invite with me, but I didn’t know if you would make it to the party.”

Wlad startled a bit, surprised at the admission. “I am invited to your wedding? Are you sure you would rather not invite someone of more significance in your life, after all, I only knew you for a short period of time before my departure. I would not wish to take up a seat if it could be filled with someone else.”

Xyila rolled her eyes and patted his shoulder consolingly. “No, you are important too, after all, you are apart of the original adventure squad! You saw me punch that dwarf in that bar fight and everything! I would be honored to have you attend my wedding. I insist. You can even bring Vessel! If I have a badger at my wedding, whatever Vessel can’t be much worse than Roselyn when she’s hangry” At the end of her speech she sat up straighter on his hip, and Wlad had a feeling if she were on the ground she would have stomped her foot as well. 

“Alright then, if you insist, I would be honored to attend your wedding ceremony. However, first I must meet the lucky man who is to be your mate, I have heard many things about him through the grapevine. Did you exchange any tokens or rings?”

“Of course! See, I have this nice wooden ring from him and he has this steel band for now. He should be here tonight, but knowing how long it takes him to get his tusks and mane just right, he’s probably late. You’ll meet him eventually,” She said, suddenly freezing as a horrified look crossed her face. Before he could even ask what was troubling her, she whispered, “Oh no. He still has to meet my family.”

“Ah, I take it that you found and rescued your family? What wondrous news, they are now safe and sound once again! I am sure that was quite a joyous reunion, was it not?” Wlad asked, tilting his head and smiling at her. She nodded back, distracted with wherever her mind had wandered.

“Yeah, the Empress helped use her resources to track them down and got them back, but when I went to meet them Durmekk was still away, and it never really came up in conversation…” She said offhand as she trailed off, before snapping back to look him in the eye. “By the tempest, he still has to meet my family Wlad. He won’t be able to fit in the house!” She wails, clutching his shirt in her hands in her panicked state. While he attempts to reassure her, Xyila notices movement over her shoulder and twists around, face lighting up with joy at the sight. “Darling!” She screeches, causing Wlad to turn them to look at the object of her excitement.

Before him approaches a massive eight foot tall orc, bulky with muscle that seems to barely be contained in the shirt and vest he is wearing, strong legs accentuated by the formal kilt he has on. One of his tusks has been broken, and his hair is pulled back into an intricate braid. He looks suspiciously at the pair, eyes softening slightly when they land on Xyila. As soon as he gets closer to them, Xyila lets out a happy giggle before launching herself at the man who effortlessly catches her, almost second nature. He shifts her to sit in the cradle of his bent arm, and she snuggles happily against his side.

“Sweetie, you will never guess who I found!” Xyila exclaims, looking up at him with obvious adoration in her eyes. The same adoration is mirrored in the other man’s eyes as he looks down at her, a soft smile on his face as he raises an eyebrow in question.

“And who would that be, little one?” He asks patiently, clearly used to the halfling’s high energy. Xyila squirms around on his arm for a moment to free her hands before dramatically gesturing to Wlad with both arms. 

“Wladislaw! He was on the Wet Dream with me and the party, and set off on his own adventure, you know, before the rest of us ended up in the slammer.”

Durmekk relaxes slightly at her declaration, and in return, so does Wlad. He certainly didn’t want to fight the larger man, but he wouldn’t expect any mercy from him if he had to because of how he had been holding the man’s future wife. That was certainly enough to make any man suspicious and wary.

“Ah yes, the one invited to the wedding?” Durmekk asked gruffly, nodding at Wlad in acknowledgement. Xyila nodded up at him before turning to Wlad once again. 

“By Durmekk’s culture we have been life mates the entire time since we got together, but I knew my family wouldn’t accept us without a wedding of some sort. Plus, this way it’s official, and I have an excuse to get to see all my friends!”

“Speaking of, where are they?” Durmekk asked Xyila, sighing when she shrugged in response.

“Don’t sigh at me mister, do you know how hard it is to keep track of people from three feet off the ground?” Xyila asked indignantly, crossing her arms. Durmekk simply smiled down at her and gently pat her head, earning a smile from her before glancing around over the crowds.

“Found them,” He grumbled before raising his other arm and hailing them down. Ash burst through the crowd, squealing and launching herself at Wlad for a hug. Frank, Tyrian, Cece and Caoime followed close behind, smiling at the reunion. Soon the chatter started to flow around the group, everyone happy and drinking, passing jokes around the circle. Frank handed Xyila a warm cider cup that she happily took with a soft squeal of delight at her favorite drink, blushing when Durmekk kissed her on the temple. 

“Do you see this? Look at us. We. Match. Why the hell do we match? Do they think we’re a couple?” Ash demanded loudly, causing Xyila to snort with mirth as everyone noticed. Both Ash and Tyrian were dressed in the same colors, just like Durmekk and Xyila were both in dark green, they were dressed in blue. 

Tyrian’s face was flushed with embarrassment as he spoke, “The last dame I was dancin’ with nearly slapped me when Ash came up- thought we were married or somethin. Someone else asked if we were twins. 

”

Xyila lost it at that, snorting loudly before laughing. “I am so sorry. Soooo sorry,” She said through her laughter, Durmekk simply shaking his head with a smile.

“Tell them what you did little one,” Said Durmekk as Xyila calmed down.

“So, I may have told the attendants that you two were close, and they took it the wrong way, and um- now you match?” Xyila said with a bashful smile, earning rounds of laughter from everyone at the admission.

They spent the night flirting with strangers (Ash and Tyrian, acting as wingmen for each other), enjoying the food, chatting with various people, and dancing. 

Durmekk shyly asked Xyila to dance, much to her excitement as they took to the floor. 

“Darling, quit squirming, you might fall,” Durmekk grumbled affectionately as they were swaying on the dance floor. Durmekk held Xyila on his arm still with his other hand on her waist. 

“If some dwarf looks up, He’ll be looking up my skirt!” Xyila whispered, blushing furiously as she tucked her skirts around herself. Durmekk rolled his eyes and looked down at her, affectionately putting their foreheads together.

“Mmmmh, yes, would you rather stand on my toes as we dance? Or perhaps, I cradle you in my arms like a child as we spin?” He asked teasingly with a rumble of a laugh. Xyila simply gave a sigh of content and leaned her face onto his shoulder as she wrapped her arms over him as they swayed to the music.

Suddenly the music swelled, before changing to an upbeat, fast paced tune. Durmekk caught Xyila looking longingly at the other dancers as they twirled and lifted their partners in time to the music. With a soft huff, Durmekk prepared to embarrass himself in front of such a large crowd. 

he thought before turning and sliding into the fray of the dancers. From the overjoyed look on her face as they danced, he knew it was worth likely looking like a fool, attempting a dance he didn’t know and would likely never learn.

He was completely unaware he had learned it long ago, in a past life, and his feet seemed to remember the steps by themselves. He twisted and twirled on cue, lifting Xyila high on time with the rest of the dancers, with quite a few other women looking enviously from their mediocre partners. He was completely oblivious to their stares, focusing only on Xyila as she threw back her head and laughed as he held her up above his head, filling his heart with joy. 

The rest of the party eventually joined in, Ash and Tyrian making a game out of trying to step on each others toes, Ash winning by utilizing the heel of her shoe, Cece demanding a dance with Frank as she babbled on about different projects she was working on, trying to convince Frank they were up to safety codes. Wlad and Caoime were spotted over by the drinks talking, seeming content to relax. 

After the fine feast (At which Ash 

didn’t purposely drop her mashed potatoes on Tyrian’s lap in retribution for him trying to covertly fling peas down her top), there was a wondrous award ceremony honoring all of the heroes, those alive, and those who passed, before the party an hour after. 

Xyila and Durmekk used their intimidating looks to scare off unwanted busybodies and gold-diggers, simply having to flex at the right time to warn them away. At one point, some stuck up duke wanted to dance, not taking no for an answer, and Xyila calmly pulled her knife out of her skirts and threatened them. Durmekk however, had little luck scaring away the women who crowded around him, each seeming bored of their fancy houses and wanting to know about adventure. After trying to push them off onto Tyrian and Frank with little success, Xyila finally decided she couldn’t stand all of the women fawning over her mate. Despite Ash and Cece’s attempts to intercept her (at least Frank had commandeered her knife), Xyila marched into the crowd of ladies and downright snarled at them, sending them all darting off like startled birds. 

Soon after, the party turned in for the night in rooms provided in the castle, Durmekk murmuring something to Xyila to make her blush bright red, and Cece being so drunk she needed escorted to her rooms. Everyone settled down for the night- only for moments later Xyila being called back out to literally cut Ash out of the corset, before all fell silent once again. 

Bump ba!!!!! The end. For this one. Because there will be more.


End file.
